Showing posts with label outside. Show all posts
Showing posts with label outside. Show all posts

Monday, August 27, 2012

More Fair Fun...

The "Worlds Biggest Sandbox" was once again a hit...though it was MUCH more crowded and all the toys were broken (just 3 days after opening - boo!), TC didn't seem any less intrigued. The cries of "da-down!" (from her stroller) started as soon as it came into view, and getting her to leave required a lot of negotiating and eventual bribery.
 
FREEDOM! This kid NEVER looks around and cries if we are not in sight. In fact, she seems to revel in her independence.
 
Playin' with the boys...


Systematically destroying other kids' castles brought her great joy...
 

Leaving, however, did not...
(how much do you want to pinch those crabby cheeks?!?!?)
 
 

Monday, December 13, 2010

Frightful Weather = Delightful Nesting Time

You may have heard about the "Snowmageddon/Snowpocalypse/Tsnownami" that hit Minnesota this weekend, dumping 17+" of snow on my house, then blowing it into stiff meringue like peaks well over 3' high. I'm not all that bothered that the Metrodome collapsed, but the video is pretty cool, and major gold star to my poor hubby who had to dig us out all alone this year, as my "fragile condition" doesn't allow for much shovelling.

Instead, I found other ways to support our family unit, like working on the nursery and online shopping.

I didn't upload my "real" pictures yet, but I managed to get a whole gob of work done when everything else was cancelled (thank goodness) and that included pretty much finishing up the decor in Cupcake's room. Here are some not great camera phone photos:



The black frames with gold accents are holding these mermaid alphabet cards, they frame the top of the room on 2 sides. The gold frames underneath hold two Paulina Stuckey Cassidy prints of mermaids that I've been saving for YEARS and never hung, and I decided to order this print for the third.

I also nabbed up this reading mermaid I've been eyeing on Etsy for months, I'm hoping I can put it in the gold frame I picked up for the voodoo room at Halloween (it had a creepy puzzle in it then). Hubby is stuck in a book most of the day, we're both English majors so reading is quite important to us and we hope it is to the Cupcake as well. Reading mermaids set a good example :)



Blackbeard there (orange beard?) is guarding a pile of newborn diapers. The curtain rods are hung, and the valances that are part of the bedding set we picked out for the twin bed, and I did decide to pair them with purple blackout curtains (not shown) but Target only had 2 panels in stock, so I need to find another set before that project is finished. I also broke down and bought a mattress pad and sheet for the crib, despite trying to wait and use my registry coupons I just HAD to get that part checked off my list, it was driving me insane :)

My final art purchase, also on Etsy, was a set of prints from this seller - she also made the thank you notes I sent out for shower gifts:



They're going in simple gold dollar store frames, with a big gold pirate ship medallion from Goodwill, and that should fill the wall above the twin bed. I hope to have everything hung and finished in the next two weeks. Fingers crossed! Maybe I should move on to Christmas shopping now...

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Seriously, who says "snowmageddon?"

We're apparently expecting the sky to fall over the remainder of the week her in the Twin Cities, with snowfall estimates running anywhere from 2 inches to 2 feet. WCCO.com is calling it the "Holiday Snowmageddon." Seriously, who can say that with a straight face?!?! It's just snow people! I remember getting 2'+ snowfalls all the time when I was a kid, we'd have it plowed up so high in the yards you couldn't see around corners at intersections, and when my parents were young that apparently happened all the time. Nobody panicked the way we do now. Sigh.

So one Xmas celebration has already been moved, and against my better judgement I will have to head to the grocery store sometime today to grab a few "just in case" necessities - we were looking forward to gorging ourselves at various relatives' homes, and therefore have ZERO food in our own house! I seriously considered chancing it and weighed starving vs. dealing with the crowds at Cub, and only slightly chose to face the crowds. I'm still planning on baking my desserts tonight & tomorrow in anticipation of being able to make it to our destinations, and I'm definitely hoping this is all a bunch of hoopla over nothing.

*****UPDATE****
I just spent 27 minutes in line at the grocery store. Not shopping, that was just the time I spent IN LINE waiting to check out! SERIOUS mess in our little Rainbow Foods, the lines were a total clusterf!@# and snaked halfway through the store. So far people were taking it pretty well though, including me, which I count as my good deed for the day since my natural inclination would have been to hate them all. Also, WCCO.com updated their story title to "Snowpocalypse." I can't make this stuff up. But apparently "journalists" can. And yes, mom, I'll got the pop for Christmas Eve. And wine coolers. Because I have my priorities. :)

Monday, December 07, 2009

Prize #7 - Baby, it's cold outside...


It sounds like I'd better hurry up and get this package opened before tomorrow, when I just might have an action shot for you (6"-12" of snow? I'm so not ready...warm fall, you've spoiled me...)

Here's our new handy-dandy Toro power shovel! This was my one "responsible" purchase with my whole gift card, and it was practically the cheapest one :)

We have a relatively small yard and not a ton of shoveling to do, but there is a logistical problem with piling the snow. In the back of the house we have a little driveway off of the alley, maybe 15' x 10'. It's not too bad to clear, but the problem comes in having to lift each full shovel 3' in the air to dump it over our fence (the only place we can pile it safely/legally/on our own property). That'll kill your back MIGHTY FAST.

Enter Toro Power Shovel!


This little guy is like a mini snowblower on a stick - it sounds PERFECT for our situation. It'll propel all of our pesky snow up and over the fence with ease. It had great reviews and I'm really optimistic. It's electric, which should be easy enough since we have lots of outlets on the garage and several long extension cords. It's fairly light weight, and I should be able to manage it on my own (as opposed to "real" snowblowers, which I often have trouble starting and turning).

I'm perfectly happy we got to wait so long to use this, and I'll gladly wait a few weeks more, but it's really nice to know that if we need it, this little puppy will really help!